We present the 1st Violence Fatality Review Committee’s Annual Report. It is our hope this information provided will be used by government agencies and community-based providers to prevent acts of violence. We thank the VFRC members, and OCME staff for their commitment to the residents of the District of Columbia.

We proudly present the 2020 Child Fatality Review Committee Annual Report. We hope that this report will help to inform our public servants and community advocates.

In 2020, opioid overdose deaths increased in the District of Columbia and throughout the nation. The OFRB will focus on reducing these deaths by conducting case reviews of opioid overdoses, informing stakeholders, and recommending evidence-based policies, practices, and implementing programs. Through case reviews of fatal opioid overdoses, the OFRB is responsible for recommending systematic changes to improve the social determinants of health among District residents.

The establishment of the District of Columbia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee (DC MMRC) in 2018 presented the unique opportunity to address systemic factors impacting maternal mortality by evaluating services, care delivery, and referrals provided to birthing persons who died during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 365 days of the end of a pregnancy. Such barriers – including racism, discrimination, and bias - adversely affect pregnancy-related health outcomes.

We proudly present the 2020 Developmental Disabilities Fatality Review Committee Annual Report. We hope that this report will help to inform our public servants and community advocates to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable residents.

On behalf of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), we are pleased to present the 2020 OCME Annual Report, which provides key statistical data stemming from our critical work in death investigation and certification, as well as a snapshot of our key achievements over the year.